Book Reviews

You Must Read This . . . Recognizing Leadership Potential

By Mandy Smith The Contrarian”s Guide to Leadership Stephen B. Sample San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003 It seems the church is ready for some contrary thinking on leadership, not for the sake of being contrary, but to challenge assumptions that may not be scriptural or right for our era. Consider several examples: “¢ Rex Miller explains that for the past 60 years, organizations have rewarded “skills like persuasion, a high-profile image, innovation, risk taking . . . leaps up the success ladder, interpersonal skills, the ability to think on one”s feet, and so forth. . . . But congregants in the

October 29, 2011

You Must Read This . . . Looking Afresh at “The Least”

By Brian Mavis Same Kind of Different as Me Ron Hall and Denver Moore Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006 I gravitate toward “heady” books, but if you want a book to make your heart smart, read Same Kind of Different as Me. It is the true story of three uncommon friends, Ron and Deborah Hall and Denver Moore. The Halls are white millionaires, and Moore is a homeless black man. The book alternates between the perspective of Ron Hall and Moore as they tell their inspiring story of enduring tragedy, repenting from prejudices, and forging an authentic friendship. And really, it”s

October 28, 2011

You Must Read This . . . Contemplating the Image of Christ

By Patricia Magness Silence Shusaku Endo (translated into English by William Johnston in 1969) Marlboro: Taplinger Publishing, 1980 “Everyone should read this book!” was the emphatic conclusion of class discussion””not coming from the professor, but from a student. The rest of the class agreed, and someone added, “It is painful, but it has changed me.” The comments were like an echo of the very words I had spoken when I finished the book. And each person who reads this book on my recommendation thanks me, even if the thanks is accompanied by tears. Silence, by Japanese Christian writer Shusaku Endo,

October 28, 2011

Shawn McMullen

You Must Read This . . . Radical

By Shawn McMullen Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream David Platt Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2010 Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God By David Platt Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2011 Some books teach us new things. Others remind us of what we already know. David Platt”s recent books, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream and Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God, remind us of our calling in Christ””to live radical lives of service and sacrifice for the glory of God and the

October 27, 2011

You Must Read This . . . Challenging Prejudices

By LeRoy Lawson Allah: A Christian Response Miroslav Volf New York: HarperCollins e-books, 2011 Many years ago my doctoral dissertation was published as Very Sure of God: Religious Language in the Poetry of Robert Browning. My question was, “In his poetry, when Browning says “˜God,” what does he mean?” My answer was, “Not much.” Of course it took me a book to explain what I meant. Ever since this exercise I”ve been listening closely when people say “God.” You can explain a lot of their behavior this way. Now Miroslav Volf has published Allah: A Christian Response. His question is,

October 27, 2011

You Must Read This . . . Timeless Relevance

By Jim Eichenberger Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters Timothy Keller New York: Dutton, 2009 Timothy Keller is well read without coming across as pompous. He strongly defends a biblical faith without being combative. He appeals to young adults despite being 60-plus and bald! A prolific writer of late, Keller defied the common wisdom by planting a church aimed at preaching “muscular” Christianity to a young urban audience in Manhattan. Founded in 1989, the Redeemer Presbyterian Church has more than 5,000 attendees weekly and is the “mother church” of congregations

October 26, 2011

You Must Read This . . . Beyond Easy Legalism

By Brad Dupray Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr,Â Prophet, Spy By Eric Metaxas Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010 German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer had a wanderlust that carried him throughout pre-World War II Europe, across the Atlantic to the United States, and even as far south as Mexico City. It was not the sights he saw that shaped Bonhoeffer”s worldview, so much as the people he met. In this thorough biographical account of a Christian martyr, Eric Metaxas reviews the tapestry of relationships Bonhoeffer used to understand basic human rights, all in the context of one who also had a deep understanding of Scripture. But

October 26, 2011

You Must Read This . . . A More Meaningful Story

By Arron Chambers A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story By Donald Miller Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011 I picked up this book because it was a compilation of lessons a favorite author learned while editing his life. I couldn”t put it down, devouring it on one four-hour plane flight, because it was at once both convicting and compelling. I immediately developed the bookÂ into a sermon series for my church; it had helped me find a more meaningful story, and I wanted the same for others. At the beginning of the book, Donald

October 25, 2011

You Must Read This . . . A Priceless Discovery

By Mark Atteberry Moments with the Savior: A Devotional Life of Christ By Ken Gire Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998Â Every summer my wife and I attend the International Christian Retail Show. We love it because we get to rub shoulders with many of our favorite authors and because we never come home with fewer than 60 or 70 brand-new, just-released books. It”s like Christmas in July. But it isn”t quite as great as it might sound. It always turns out that at least half the books we ship home aren”t worth the paper they”re printed on. For some, the problem

October 25, 2011

You Must Read This . . . A Spiritual Retreat

By Becky Ahlberg Simply Christian: WhyÂ Christianity Makes Sense By N.T. Wright New York: HarperCollins, 2006 I found this gem during my search for help in writing the spiritual formation curriculum for an intensive yearlong program for low-income single mothers. As is often the case, when you teach, you learn the most. For this teacher, this book was like fresh water to a parched soul. In its simplicity and clarity it brought into bold relief how truly dry I was! Page after page the author brings to life the theology we often “know” and yet don”t understand in a personal way.

July 26, 2011

Read It for the Stories

By Mark A. Taylor I”m reading Unleashed, Dudley Rutherford”s brainchild and Standard Publishing”s new release based on the sermons at this summer”s North American Christian Convention. And I”m a fan. I expected the book to be full of solid scriptural teaching. But I didn”t expect the book to draw me in so that I didn”t want to put it down. I didn”t expect it to make me laugh out loud or fight back tears. Unleashed will be purchased for many reasons, but my advice is, get the book for its stories. You”ll share them with your spouse. You”ll use

July 25, 2011

Believers, the Bible, and Prescriptions for Health

By LeRoy Lawson American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell New York: Simon and Schuster, 2010 The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization Vishal Mangalwadi Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011 Pause Points: The Mindful Pursuit of Health and Well-Being Gene Harker and Curt Smith Bloomington: WestBow Press, 2011 Well, it”s happened at last. The third-largest “religious” group in the United States is “Nones,” people who claim no religious or institutional affiliation. The group is more numerous (17 percent) than mainline Protestants (14 percent). Only

May 14, 2011

Service and Love: Paths to Change

LeRoy Lawson reviews three books on older adults in ministry, loving enemies in the Middle East, and James Davison Hunter’s call for Christians to serve the world.

April 15, 2011

Trying to Keep Up with Books by “˜Us”

LeRoy Lawson reviews five books from Christian church writers, including reflections on Superman, devotional poetry, Stone-Campbell meditations, missions in Ukraine, and ministry amid pornography’s destructive reach.

March 15, 2011

Charting a Course Through the Humanities

LeRoy Lawson revisits the classic reading list for Milligan College’s Humanities 101, reflecting on Homer, Vergil, Beowulf, Augustine, Greek tragedy, and enduring questions from ancient and medieval culture.

February 23, 2011

A Troubled Continent, a New Dream

LeRoy Lawson reviews two histories of post-independence Africa and David Platt’s Radical, connecting Africa’s suffering with the church’s call to sacrificial Great Commission living.

January 4, 2011

Changed Lives, Reformed Hearts

By LeRoy Lawson The Brain that Changes Itself Norman Doidge, M.D. / New York: Penguin Books, 2007 Dark Journey/Deep Grace: Jeffrey Dahmer”s Story of Faith Roy Ratliff and Lindy Adams / Abilene: Leafwood Publishers, 2006 In the 1950s Norman Vincent Peale”s The Power of Positive Thinking became a surprise best seller. Robert H. Schuller took up his mantle a generation later with a host of self-help books with a variation on the theme, the power of “possibility” thinking. It has been pretty easy for cynics to dismiss Peale and Schuller and their ilk. Too easy, too Pollyannaish, so much “pie

December 27, 2010

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: From My Vacation, for Your New Year

LeRoy Lawson reviews five books from a European trip, reflecting on optimism, character, physics, corporate leadership, and the English language with a preacher’s eye for wisdom.

November 28, 2010

From My Bookshelf: It Matters What You Believe

LeRoy Lawson reviews three books exploring quantum theory, Pearl Buck’s complicated legacy, and the bin Laden family, reflecting on truth, biography, belief, and the consequences of sincere conviction.

October 31, 2010